This is probably the last review I will write in Mouthshut.com. Thank you each and everyone of you who have taken time to read, rate and comment on all my reviews. Raging Bull will always have a very special place in my heart not only because my favourite actor Robert De Niro is in it but also because whenever I am feeling low and down I see this movie and it somehow gives me instant kick.
Psst - This section will contain some inside trivia about the film.
Quotes - Good one liners from the movie.
Oops - Goofs From the movie.
Director - Martin Scorcese
Screenplay - Jake LaMotta, Joseph Carter, Peter Savage, Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin
Superb Biography of famous middle weight boxer of the 40’s and 50’s..Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro). Jake La Motta, Although a fierce boxer was a very emotionally unstable person. His violent temper and irrational jealousy caused him to loose his wife, his kids and his borther Joey (Joe Pesci in a performance of a life time). His life outside the boxing ring runs parallel to his life as a boxer. If he looses a fight it probably meant that his outside life was not going great either. But LaMotta’’’’s greatest talent was his ability to whitstand punishment in the boxing ring. His Matches with fierce rival Sugar Ray Robinson are unbelievable. After Boxing he started doing stand up comdey in a local night club. Although he was ridiculed in the starting days he got reasonable fame for it. On the whole this movie teaches one just one lesson that it does not pay to be emotionally unstable in real life. And Jake La Motta Learnt it the hard way. Still He had his head held high no matter what the circumstances were. Superb Acting by Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. Tight Editing by Thelma Schoonmacher, mind boggling and intense black and white cinematogarphy byMichael Chapman and superb sound recording by Walter Gest. Classic Music Score by Pietro Mascagni. Definately worth multiple viewings. Watch out for the amazing boxing match scenes. Even though they take only 10 minutes of the screen time in whole, its worth the entire movie itself. The best movie made on the sport of boxing.
Psst -
1)The Superb Sound effects for punches landing were made by squashing melons and tomatoes. Sound effects for camera flashes going off were sounds of gunshots. The original tapes were purposely destroyed by the sound recordiing team to prevent then being used again.
2) Robert De Niro accidentally broke Joe Pesci’’’’s rib in one scene.
3) Robert De Niro gained over 25 KG by eating lots of pasta to play the older La Motta, and Pesci lost weight for the same scene. This was the best method acting in the history of World Cinema and till date people refer to it.
4) Director Martin Scorsese makes asking Jake to go on stage.
5) To Prepare for this role, Robert De Niro went through an exhaustive boxing training and even entered in 3 local boxing matches in New York. He Won two of them.
6) To show up better on black and white film, Hershey’’’’s chocolate was used for blood. This was first started y Alfred Hitchcock for his clasic sower bath scene in Psycho (1960).
7) Although only a few minutes of boxing scenes are there in the movie, it took nearly 6 weeks to shoot them.
8) While preparing to play Jake La Motta, Robert De Niro actually met Jake La Motta and became very good friends with him. They spent the entire shoot together so De Niro could portray his character accurately. La Motta said that De Niro has the ability to be a professional boxer, and that he would have been happy to be his manager and trainer.
9) Much Later Jake La Motta Had sued the crew of the movie.
Oops
1) During the Early half of the movie, there is a scene where Jake tells Joey to punch him. Joey does so, repeatedly, and leaves his ring on and thus cutting Jake with each new punch. Yet right before he throws the last punch, all of the puncture in Jake’’’’s forehead have been removed. DUE TO SPACE CONSTRAINT IN MOUTHSHUT I WILL WRITE ALL THE QUOTES IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. PLEASE GO THERE AND READ ALL THE QUOTES.